Enhancement of concrete-based sanitary sewer infrastructure through synthetic fiber reinforcement

A comprehensive literature review was conducted on fiber-reinforced concrete, which provided a basis for use of synthetic fibers in concrete-based infrastructure. The focus of this research was to develop structural designs with synthetic fibers, to increase the protective concrete cover over steel, and the service life of concrete pipes in sanitary sewer systems.; An industrial-scale production and test program was implemented to verify the constructability and structural performance of concrete pipes incorporating synthetic fibers. The results indicated that synthetic fibers enable design of pipes with increased protective concrete cover over steel (for improved durability), with adequate strength and ductility. Refined materials and designs were found to be compatible with conventional pipe production practices.; Analytical models were developed for prediction of the load-carrying capacity of fiber-reinforced concrete pipes, with or without steel reinforcement. These models provided a reasonable basis to predict the experimental values of the load-carrying capacity of concrete pipes.